The background on the Front Bottoms

The background on the Front Bottoms

The Front Bottoms recently released “Talon of the Hawk.”Credit: Mark Jowarski

Quirky? Yes.

But what did you expect from a band with an album titled “My Grandma vs. Pneumonia”?

Still, there’s a serious side to the music of the Jersey acoustic punk band the Front Bottoms, and perhaps that’s why they’re selling out shows across the country.

“The society we live in is a little intimidating, especially for a young person trying to figure out what is going on,” says Front Bottoms front man Brian Sella. “All these crazy things are happening in this world — where do I fit in and what’s my place?”

Case in point is the band’s sweeping rocker, “Twin Size Mattress,” a weighty look at the twilight of childhood with references to teenage drunken hijinks and a friend who spirals out of control. It’s from the band’s latest album, “Talon of the Hawk,” which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart in May. Like “Twin Size Mattress,” “Hawk” has the air of fun spontaneity but with an underlying tone of maturity.

The Front Bottoms was founded by Sella and drummer Mathew Uychich, high school friends who teamed up in 2006. Despite being from Bergen County, next door to New York City, the duo would drive down to Philly to play the basements of Drexel University and the living rooms of Penn students early in their career.

“Manhattan is a rough place for a two-piece pop-punk band so Philly became a regular spot that we would go and play,” Sella says.

Sella and Uychich have recently added a bassist and guitarist for the live show.

“I think people like that me and Matt started the band and we went on tour and we’re, like, living the dream and we never gave up on it,” Sella says. “In the end we’re playing the songs we wrote and people are singing along. It isn’t very complicated and it feels good.”